FAQ

This is the FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions sections where you can view questions that we are often asked with their answers.

But how do these tests work? Surely we all change constantly?

Firstly, psychometric tests are only part of the overall process. They are valuable in the information that we glean from them, but they MUST be accompanied with lots of time spent interacting and talking through options with a real person. When we discuss the results of the questionnaires, we stress that YOU are the final validator of your own profile. Psychometric tests should never place you in a box. Each one of us is unique and spills out of the box somewhere. However, tests do give us valuable insights upon which to build our discussion.

Secondly, most dimensions that are measured are relatively stable. We are unlikely to change diametrically over a period of time although some dimensions might modify a bit or become less radical as we grow older or mature.

Does one need to have a formal assessment in order to make a good career choice?

No. Some people have a very good understanding of who they are and have done extensive career research and job shadowing and are quite capable of making an informed decision.

How do I know whether I need a formal assessment?

If you are already close to the end of your school life and you are aware that you need to make some tentative choices, but you have no idea which direction to take; if you have a number of possible options or, conversely, you believe that your subject choice or marks offer you few options then you would benefit from a full analysis and counselling to focus your choices on careers where you could be successful, but which also suit your personality and interests.

I am already a student. Am I too late for this process?

Not at all. By now you have discerned which subjects interest you and which don’t. You are also aware of your ability to handle the various subjects. Once we are able to establish the direction that you should be heading, we can usually tweak your existing course to get it into line with where you wish to go. We can also explore
post graduate alternatives to take you in a preferred direction.

I am middle aged but desperate for a change. Is this a possibility?

Despite the economic climate, people are making changes, or else preparing themselves to make those changes once there is an economic upturn again. A personality assessment and counselling will enable you to take the journey into possibilities for the future that allows you to build onto your past training and experience but to add new dimensions for the next stage of your working life.

I have spent the last decade at home raising my children. How do I get back into the working world?

My philosophy is ‘Never underestimate what a woman learns while running a home and raising small children’. Some company executives would blanch at the multi-tasking that many at-home moms practise every day without expecting a raise! Once a woman decides that she would like to re-enter the workplace, a personality assessment with counselling will enable us to find the niche that will fulfil as many of her requirements as possible. From there, we will offer guidance in the drawing up of the curriculum vitae, interview techniques and other necessary aspects.

If I attend such an assessment will I definitely know what I want to do?

Most people who engage in the process end up with a pretty good idea of the next step. If they are going to university or a university of technology, they are usually confident of the faculty or department for which they are applying. Others will be pointed to training facilities offering the kind of skills development that they seek which they then visit in order to make a more informed choice.

The fact that the practice has been operating for fifteen years and is always fully booked despite doing no advertising at all beside word of mouth attests to the fact that most of the clients leave the process satisfied enough to tell others about their experience.
However, once the assessment and the feedback are concluded, we continue to walk alongside you until you are settled to take the next step.

If I undergo career counselling, will you place me in a job?

This is a career development practice. We help you to discover more about yourself and the world of work so that you are better equipped to make wise career choices and to market yourself effectively. We help to steer you in the right direction. We do not, however, place people in jobs. That is the work of a recruitment specialist.

Is it really worthwhile doing job shadowing?

Job shadowing fulfils a dual purpose. It gives you a more thorough insight into the average day of an incumbent of the job and it also enables you to discern more effectively whether you would fit into such a career. It is important that you plan a job shadow in good time so that you don’t just land somewhere by default. Those job shadows are often disappointing as the person tasked with showing you the ropes would have had no time to plan for your visit and might even feel resentful of having to readjust his schedule unexpectedly. Don’t be surprised if the time spent in job shadowing shows you quite clearly that you do not, in fact, find the job as appealing as you had anticipated you would. That realisation in itself is a valuable product of the experience.

What are Psychometric Tests?

Wikipedia states that…
Psychometrics is the field of study concerned with the theory and technique of educational and psychological measurement, which includes the measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, and personality traits. The field is primarily concerned with the study of measurement instruments such as questionnaires and tests.

Basically this means that the client fills in a variety of questionnaires or undergoes timed tests that measure strengths of aptitude in a selection of fields in order to obtain more objective information as part of the whole career counselling process.

Psychometric tests should never be used in isolation but should be both administered and interpreted by a trained professional as part of a holistic career counselling experience.